Thursday, January 17, 2013

Band of Believers

Mark 2:1-12
One of the more poignant aspects of the healing of the paralytic is the obvious compassion for this man on the part of his friends who were willing to do whatever was necessary to get him into Jesus’ presence. “Then some people came, bringing to [Jesus] a paralyzed man, carried by four of them. And when they could not bring him to Jesus because of the crowd, they removed the roof above him; and after having dug through it, they let down the mat on which the paralytic lay. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, ‘Son, your sins are forgiven’” (Mark 2:3-5). Mark says that when Jesus “saw their faith,” he first forgave the paralyzed man and then healed him. The plural pronoun their tells us a lot. It was not simply the faith of the man in need that moved Jesus. In fact the paralyzed man’s faith may not be indicated at all. Their may refer only to the people who believed that Jesus could heal their friend.

There are times when I find myself facing fears or concerns, issues or questions that leave me, in effect, spiritually paralyzed. When that happens, when I am facing doubts or struggling with my faith, it is the love and support of the wider community that so often pulls me through. Over the years, friends, family members, congregants, even relative strangers willing to express their confidence in God, have “carried” me to Jesus and helped me learn to stand again in the faith. So often it is their actions that remind me of the forgiveness that I have received and of the healing that I need. And at other times I have been blessed to help do the “carrying,” lending my support to those in need of forgiveness and healing. This is one way that the community of faith expresses its concern for one another in times of need.

Ours is a complicated and trying world, full of darkness, rocked by injustice. But when we as God’s people are willing, not only to carry those in need, but also to dig through the obstacles they encounter, then our faith can become a source of light and life for all.

Prayer: Lord, help us to care for one another and especially for those in need of encouragement and hope, so that together we may share the love of the gospel with a hurting world. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

No comments: